Thursday, October 31, 2019

Letrery anaylesis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Letrery anaylesis - Essay Example As the author, John Updike sets the story in an ordinary environment, where people have become accustomed to the monotony of everyday life. Sammy and the other attendants are used to serving grumpy customers, for example that woman who is at the counter when the three girls come in. Sammy describes her as â€Å"†¦one of those cash-register-watchers, a witch about fifty with rouge on her cheekbones and no eyebrows†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Updike 31). This kind of setting makes the girls stand out from the rest of the crowd, thus making Sammy mesmerized (Updike 32). The characters in the story are also well presented to fit their roles. For instance, Sammy is portrayed as a light-hearted teenager who is naturally attracted to the sight of the half-clothed girls. Sammy’s colleague Stokesie is portrayed as a young man who is forced to be responsible due to the fact he is married and has two kids. The most interesting character is Queenie who is the leader of the girls and is the epitome of beauty in a woman. Her beauty and the way she carries herself is enough to cause Sammy to quit his job in protest after Lengel embarrasses the girls because of their dressing. Updike uses a lot of imagery to add flavor to the story. For example, the herring snacks and beer glasses are used to show how rich the girls are, to be able to afford all those items. Updike also uses imagery to give the reader a clear picture of how the old people are stubborn. For example, Sammy talks about the old witch whose feathers he has to smooth. On the contrary, Queenie symbolizes beauty, and all that a woman should have (Updike

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

The power of language Essay Example for Free

The power of language Essay Although Susanne Langer did a study on humans and animals to show signs vs. symbols in understanding language, Helen Keller and Malcolm X took different paths on discovering the power of language. Langer brings up how there is a difference between symbols and signs, which most people consider them one in the same. For Keller she was deaf and blind from the age of 19 months, where she had difficulty learning how to communicate and understand language. In Malcolm X’s case, he was a street hustler who didn’t get proper education and was frustrated when he couldn’t get his point across through his letters he wrote. In â€Å"Language and thought† it was said, â€Å"A sign is anything that announces the existence or the imminence of some event, the presence of a thing or a person, or a change in the state of affairs† (Langer, Pg. 28). Where both humans and animals use signs all the time. For both of us sounds, smells, and motions could be signs of food, danger, the presence of others around us, or of a storm approaching. For animals they use signs for defense, to call out for others, signs of feelings or intentions to be reckoned with or just to let them in. Humans use signs way more than animals in their everyday life. We answer calls, read other peoples expressions, watch the sky or animals for coming storms, cross streets when there’s a walk man, or wait when it says, stop at red lights and go at green. â€Å"In every case a sign is closely bound up with something to be noted or expected in experience† (Langer, Pg. 28). â€Å"A symbol differs from a sign in that it does not announce the presence of the object, the being, condition, or whatnot, which is its meaning, but merely brings this thing to mind. † (Langer, Pg. 28). The difference between sign and symbol is that a sign generates us â€Å"to think or act in the face of the thing signified†, and a symbol is people’s concept of the thing symbolized. There are many things that are considered symbols, including words, pictures and memories. For example a heart is a symbol of love and a picture of a smiley face is a symbol of happiness. There are symbols everywhere with great significance or little value. But, according to Langer â€Å"The essence of language is symbolic, not signific. † (Langer, Pg. 31) Since Helen Keller was deaf and blind from a very young age, she didn’t know how to communicate her wants, needs and connect with the people around her. So finally at the age of seven her parents reached out to a teacher familiar with teaching the blind and deaf. Her teachers name was Miss Sullivan who taught her how to communicate by writing the words in Helens hand and letting her feel or touch the object to grasp exactly what it was. It started of with small inanimate objects like doll, hat and cup. Each time they would progress to more difficult words like sit, stand, walk and water. They went from words to sentences to trying to figure out how to explain the word love. Once she understood miss Sullivan’s definition of love, Keller â€Å"felt that there were invisible lines stretched between her spirit and the spirits of others† (Keller Pg. 68) She came to the realization that the deaf and blind have a more difficult time acquiring the amenities of conversation, which she accepts and understands. Malcolm X grew up in the hustler kind of environment, where he never had a good education and didn’t have to really communicate properly. Soon after Malcolm got arrested for burglary and was in jail, he became obsessed with the written word and books. He would send letters to people he had known in the hustling world, the mayor of Boston, the Governor of Massachusetts and harry S. Truman. Not one of them would write back, which made Malcolm more and more frustrated. He started off trying to read books to gain knowledge but it was useless because Malcolm didn’t understand most of the words in the books. So he decided the best thing was for him to read a dictionary, to study and learn more adequate words to add to his vocabulary. It started by copying and handwriting every word into his tablet, with every punctuation mark. After he wrote the words he would read them over and over, aloud and wake up thinking about those words. This continued until Malcolm copied the whole dictionary and knew almost every word he could. When he was done he picked up a book and could now understand what it was about. Malcolm said â€Å"I never had been so truly free in my life† (Malcolm Pg. 64). From signs and symbols having different meanings in life to finding enlightenment through a dictionary. All three of these authors have come a long way on their paths of discovering and understanding the power of language and communication. With curiosity, research, self-determination, persistence and keeping an open mind, the world of language can be explored to great measures into understanding its meaning and value.

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Taiwan: Major Industires

Taiwan: Major Industires TAIWAN: MAJOR INDUSTRIES The major industries in Taiwan are electronics, petroleum refining, armaments, chemicals, textiles, iron and steel, machinery, cement, food processing, vehicles, consumer products, pharmaceuticals. We can have a look at the major industries one by one and then do an analysis on the investment opportunities on one of them. SEMICONDUCTOR INDUSTRY Taiwan has truly emerged as a global leader in the semiconductor and microelectronics industry and serves as the home of the worlds top IC foundries, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation (TSMC) and United Microelectronics (UMC), which hold a majority of the market share. Taiwan is also an important player in Mask ROM production, IC packaging and IC testing, accounting for 57.1%, 32% and 36% of global market shares respectively. Taiwan-based Advanced Semiconductor Engineering Inc (ASE) and Siliconware Precision Industries (SPIL) lead the IC packaging industry, while ASE Test and ChipMOS Technologies lead the IC testing industry. Taiwans IC design industry has ranked second only to the US, accounting for 28.4% of the market worldwide. Media Tek, VIA, Realtek and Sunplus are among the top 20 IC design houses. Taiwan ranks as the worlds 3rd largest maker of DRAM components, supplying 17.1% of the market. Taiwan also serves as a key IC market, with a value of US$11 billion in 2002, representing 25.7% of the market in Asia and 8.1% of the global market. Competitive Advantage and Market Strengths Taiwan plays a major role in the global semiconductor industry, as the unique structure of its IC industry fosters close cooperation among diverse yet essential elements in the value chain, ranging from IC design and manufacturing to packaging and testing. Investment Opportunities and Market Potential The National Si-Soft Project was launched in 2003 in an effort to upgrade Taiwans IC industry from mainly contract manufacturing to RD and innovation oriented production. The project aims to make Taiwan the one-stop shop for IC designs, mix-and-match intellectual properties, manufacturing, and testing. The National Si-Soft Project is devoted to developing System-on-Chip (SoC) infrastructure in Taiwan. Specific contents of the Si-Soft Project include automation software, silicon intellectual property (IP), embedded software, and system single chip, which are all essential in IC design. New IC designs will in turn drive the development of information household appliances, photoelectricity, internet technologies, energy, communication, biological chips, and nanotechnology. The project offers various benefits such as: Providing available IP sources and a more simplified transaction flow for the IC design industry (including design services), in order to decrease the time required for IC design. Improving the competitiveness of practitioners in the system industry as they realize the system knowhow in their own SoC Effectively cultivating star IP vendors in the IP industry Attracting more customers with value-added products (more complete IP features) for chip manufacturers Allowing practitioners in the packaging and testing industries to interchange freely and learn about the most advanced technologies relevant to their field in order to further enhance their technological expertise DISPLAY AND OPTOELECTRONICS Taiwan has seen significant growth in its color imaging (CI) industry in recent years. The overall production value of the flat panel display (FPD) industry alone has increased more than twofold since 2001, totaling US$7.39 billion, of which 83.4% came from the production of large size TFT-LCD units. In Q1 2004, the islands Flat Panel Display (FPD) sales reached NT$171.3 billion (US$5.1 billion), a 115% increase on the previous year, and 2004 sales are projected to reach NT$727.1 billion (US$21.7 billion). As Taiwan manufacturers are positioned to start mass production on next generation panels (6th, 7th, and 7.5), the total production value of Taiwans FPD industry will surpass NT$1 trillion. Taiwan is currently expected to account for 41% of large-sized TFT-LCD panel supply in 2004, becoming the worlds largest production base. Major TFT-LCD makers in Taiwan, such as AU, Chi-Mei, CPT, QDI, Hannstar, Toppoly, and PVI, have contributed greatly to the progress of the CI industry. AU, which receives the majority of its funding from Taiwan, is the third largest panel supplier in the world, and is the largest producer in Taiwan. Chi Mei, the second largest producer in Taiwan, is fast approaching AU in terms of production value. Competitive Advantages and Market Strengths Over 30% of the key components for FPD, such as polarizers, backlight modules, color filters and driver ICs, are manufactured in Taiwan, and local component makers such as Optimax (polarizers), Forhouse and Radiant (backlights), Allied Material Technology, Cando and Sintek (color filters), Novatek and Winbond (driver ICs), work very closely with panel makers. These component and finished product manufacturers are clustered around the Taoyuan, Hsinchu, and Tainan areas, creating an integrated supply chain that further strengthens Taiwans position in the global IT industry. Investment Opportunities and Market Potential As Taiwan is the worlds second largest producer of panels and the market for components is quite large, the government is inviting foreign suppliers of materials and equipment to build factories in Taiwan, to enable faster and more effective product and service deliveries. Panel makers in Taiwan plan to establish G5 and G6 production lines, with the goal of becoming the leading panel supplier in the world. The government aims to generate US$40 billion in FPD production value by the year 2006. In the next three to four years, enterprises specializing in advanced components will have ample space for high growth potential. The government offers investors in the color imaging industry special tax reduction and investment incentives. Combined with a highly skilled workforce and abundant experience in the IT industry, Taiwan is the ideal destination for investment in the color imaging industry. Foreign Direct Investments in Taiwan The color imaging industry in Taiwan has grown very rapidly in the past few years. In light of an increasing demand for flat panels in the global market and strong competition, Taiwans vendors realize the importance of improving their technology and producing the right key components. The cost ratio for TFT-LCD components is quite high, with color filters at around 26% and glass substrate near 4%. Taiwans government has been active in soliciting foreign investors to manufacture these key components in Taiwan. BIOTECHNOLOGY AND PHARMACEUTICALS Taiwans concerted policy efforts to develop research, development and production capabilities in the biotech sector have paid off in creating a wealth of investment opportunities. Biotech research at Taiwans top academic institutions is gaining international attention, while development capabilities, fostered through joint industry and government support, are turning these research achievements into commercially viable products. Taiwans mature production and logistics capabilities, evidenced by its over 100 cGMP-awarded pharmaceutical manufacturers, have been widely recognized as powerhouses in this area. Goals for the Coming Decade Having established a solid foundation, the Taiwan government has designated the biotechnology industry for further development into a key industry in its Two Trillion, Twin Stars Plan and Challenge 2008 National Development Plan. Through the combined efforts of government, academia, research and industrial sectors, Taiwan is poised to become a major hub and logistics operations center for RD, manufacturing, and operations in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries within the Asia-Pacific region. The governments plans to promote the industry include achieving targets of NT$150 billion (US$4.34 billion) in investments and 25% annual revenue growth by 2008 and five hundred biotech-related companies within ten years. Competitive Advantages and Market Strengths Superior pharmaceutical production and manufacturing capabilities Geographically positioned close to potential markets in Asia allows for enhanced product development for Asian markets Excellent springboard for entering other Asian markets Ease of communication and reduced cultural barriers Strong venture capital and financial resources Abundance of technical specialists in organic chemistry, optoelectronics, integrated circuitry, automated systems, and other relevant fields Excellent research facilities and well-staffed healthcare organizations TELECOMMUNICATION Taiwan offers much potential in the telecommunications market, with one of the most advanced telecommunications networks in the region. High penetration rates in both the fixed-line and mobile phone sectors have encouraged growth in telecom products and services. Looking to 2004, the Ministry of Economic Affairs has announced plans to make the telecommunications industry one of Taiwans trillion dollar industries, which will nurture the development of wireless applications, 3G, and broadband services. Competitive Advantages and Market Strengths Taiwan is currently the fourth largest producer of PCs. As PC-related IC design and manufacturing technology in Taiwan have reached world standards, wireless communication and broadband communication products, related components/assemblies and systems products manufacturing technology have all been the beneficiaries of a multiplier effect. A growing number of Taiwan manufacturers boast manufacturing and marketing capabilities for research and development of xDSL, DLC, SDHH, DWDM, and cell-phone related products. If these are combined with telecommunications service capabilities of foreign companies, particularly in the area of content services, their ability to enter newly developing markets will surely stimulate a new wave of product demand. Taiwans world-class technological advantages enable it to benefit from US and Japanese RD resources. Taiwans central location in the Asian Pacific region provides ideal access to the emerging Mainland China and Southeast Asian markets and to manufacture highly-competitive communications technology products. For manufacturers advancing into newly developing markets, Taiwan remains the most advantageous base for business operations in the region. Investment Opportunities and Market Potential In order to establish Taiwan as a broadband communications technology island, the government has classified telecommunications as a strategic industry, allowing it to benefit from a host of investment and tax incentives. The Related Industries Promotion Plan is expected to facilitate the establishment of communication-oriented SoC IC design, fiber-optic components/assemblies, production facilities, software and telecommunications service industries innovation. IT product manufacturing is expected to reach its goal of surpassing US$ 30 billion by 2007. At the same time, in order to comply with telecommunications industry liberalization and national infrastructure requirements, Taiwan has in recent years gradually liberalized the 3G and wired network markets. Estimates for 2005 anticipate US$50 billion in equipment purchase orders and US$20 billion in telecommunication service industry revenues. Market opportunities are tremendous, making Taiwan the ideal investment destination for the equipment manufacturing industry and content service providers. MATERIALS AND FINE CHEMICALS The production value of the material and fine chemical industry in Taiwan has averaged approximately US$44.38 billion annually, with petrochemical materials, polymer, electrical materials and fine chemical products as major output. Taiwan is the largest producer of ABS, the second largest supplier of PTAs, and the fourth largest in PVCs, supplying the Taiwan domestic market and the worlds major markets, especially Mainland China. With a well-developed supplier chain and marketing channels all over the world, Taiwan plays a key role in many markets today. In fact, a growing number of leading companies, such as Chi-Mei, Nan Ya Plastics and Formosa Plastics in the material industry, and UPC, Dahin, Lee Chang Yung Chemical in the fine chemical industry, are emerging more visibly in the international markets. In addition, Eternal Chemical and Chang Chun Plastics in the electrical material industry, and Taiwan Shiseido, Grand Glory Biotechnology, Taiwan Sugar, and Taiwan Salt in the cosmetics industry are already well-established in their respective markets. As the IT industry becomes more competitive, Taiwans material and fine chemical industry has been focusing on semiconductors, plane display materials, print circuit boards, nanotechnology materials and other high value-added products. Investment Opportunities and Market Potentials Taiwan is home to a great number of talented RD and design people who are well-educated and possess experience with international companies, making the island more advantageous location for multinational companies to localize as part of a globalization strategy. In recent years, Taiwans IT industry has shown impressive progress the semiconductor, TFT-LCDs, and print circuit board industries are seeing dramatic growth and have reached large-scale production levels, thereby gaining strength in the international markets. The materials and fine chemical industry in Taiwan will be highly essential in supporting the IT industry and meeting its rigorous demands. The Challenge 2008 National Development Plan, a government-support project that shows a list of plans and incentives on land lease, funding, taxes, and other benefits, demonstrates the value that the materials and fine chemical industry brings to Taiwan. Taiwan has created vast opportunities for both international and domestic firms, with Mainland China as the biggest and most prominent market. With its strategic geographical location and experience in world trade, Taiwan makes the ideal center for manufacturing and market development in the Asia-Pacific region. FINANCE, SECURITIES AND INSURANCE With foreign exchanges reserves of over US$200 billion at the end of 2003, and a forecasted 4.5% economic growth rate for 2004, Taiwan continues to maintain a robust economy, due in part to government action on internationalization and liberalization policies. Competitive Advantages Market Strengths As a growing number of global industries are migrating to the Far East, Taiwan is an ideal location to establish a financial base. Multinational companies in Taiwan have access to more precise information on the Asia-Pacific region as they expand their business. In recent years, East Asia has become an important investment location for European and American countries. Taiwans stock market index is covered in both Dow Jones and Morgan Stanleys stock indices, to the benefit of foreign investors. In addition, the government has loosened restrictions on foreign capital in the Taiwan stock market, bringing more attention to Taiwans market. Investment Opportunities and Market Potential In pursuing its goal of becoming the financial center of East Asia, Taiwan is revising its financial policies to bring them to international standards. Examples of such policies include: Lifting constraints on offshore banking units (OBUs) Policies include expanding the depth and breadth of foreign currency market, and broadening the offshore banking units market and foreign currency overnight rate market to attract foreign financial institutions and enhance Taiwans position as a regional funding center. Taiwan will therefore expand its stock and bond markets, improve market regulation and efficiency, and promote the internationalization of the securities market. Foreign investors can buy and sell securities, bonds and public warrants freely without restrictions of time or location, have more versatility in managing investments, and vitalize the market. Ongoing liberalization of capital markets for foreign investors the ROC government has opened up its stock market to foreign investors with minimal restrictions. With the introduction of more financial commodities in the market and more diversified channels for funds, Taiwans capital markets are opening to increasing foreign investors, who are now allowed to manage derivative financial products instead of spot commodities. In addition, foreign capital is now permitted in the private placement market, and these newly available commodities are attracting more foreign investment. Opening the insurance market to foreign investors Fifty-five insurance companies are currently in operation in Taiwan, of which 21 are foreign-owned. Other measures to liberalize the Taiwan insurance market include: relaxing restrictions on the approval of commodities; liberalized rates; investment policies and procedures; the opening of cross-strait insurance exchanges; the promotion of risk-based capital (RBC) systems; information disclosure systems; and a certified actuary system. With monitoring of all foreign insurance companies in Taiwan to ensure compliance with policies on remuneration for Taiwan citizens, the foreign insurance industry in Taiwan can operate in a fair and reasonable business environment. In addition, with the islands excellent location and workforce, Taiwan has the potential to become the Asian insurance market hub for foreign investors. Increasing the liquidity of financial capital in the stock market The Securitization of Financial Assets Law was implemented on July 24, 2002, with the aim of improving and increasing the liquidity of financial assets, including fully liberalized foreign investments in the public and private placement of securitization of financial assets. Several domestic banks are in the process of cooperating with foreign financial institutions in this regard. According to the rules for MFN and National Treatment, foreign invested banks in Taiwan can compete on an equal footing with domestic banks. They are all granted licenses and can operate as fully-functional branches in Taiwan. In addition, as stated in the Banking Law and Financial Holding Company Law, a foreign financial institution may invest up to a 100% stake in a domestic bank. Moreover, foreign banks and financial holding companies that have sufficient experience and a good reputation can hold shares of up to 100% under their original name. Foreign financial groups may merge with Taiwans local financial institutions under the Merger Law for Financial Institutions, which has been established for the purpose of regulating the merger of financial institutions, expanding economies of scale, enhancing the efficiency of financial institutions and protecting proper competition environments. The law provides a friendly legal environment and mechanism for the operation of Asset Management Companies. Flexible government restrictions allow foreign investors to set up their operations headquarters in Taiwan to conduct multilateral trade a growing trend for foreign companies to gain a more competitive edge. ANALYSIS OF THE TAIWANESE BIOTECHNOLOGY SECTOR Taiwans biotechnology industry includes biotechnology, pharmaceuticals and medical devices. In 2003, the total annual revenue for these industries in Taiwan was approximately NT$131.6 billion, of which NT$29.6 billion came from biotechnology0.9 percent of the total global revenue-represented by 223 companies, each with an average revenue of NT$133 million. Business scope covered included genomics, drugs, diagnostics, agricultural biotechnology, environmental biotechnology, protein drugs, contract research organizations, biochips and bioinformatics. The islands pharmaceutical industry returned NT$61.4 billion,0.4 percent of the global total with 429 companies active in this sector, averaging NT$143 million per company. The medical devices industry returned NT$40.6 billion,0.6 percent of the global total, coming from 397 companies, with an average revenue of NT$102 million each. The biotechnology workforce size is 35,610, of which 7,200 are in the biotechnology industry, 14,224 in the pharmaceutical industry and 14,186 working in the medical devices industry. Status of Biotechnology Development in Taiwan (2003) Units: NT$100 million Industry Biotechnology Pharmaceutical Medial devices Total Revenue 296 614 406 1,316 Number of Companies 223 429 397 1,049 Size of work force (number) 7,200 14,224 14,186 35,610 Export value* 113 45 288 446 Import value* 120 339 425 884 Domestic sales vs. export 62:38 93:7 29:71 66:34 Domestic market demand* 303 908 543 1,754 BIOTECH INDUSTRY ANALYSIS: MICHAEL PORTERS FIVE FORCES MODEL Advantages and opportunities in Taiwans biotech industry Advantages: 1. Active and continuous efforts to build up an attractive investment environment by the government 2. Large input to investment of up- and mid-stream RD and infrastructure 3. Close bond with fast growing Asian markets 4. Sufficient domestic capital for investing from intensive partners 5. Solid foundation and experience from the past development of the electronics industry 6. Proper environment for the development of small- and medium-sized enterprises; and the diligent and aggressive entrepreneurial spirit of the Taiwanese 7. Ample biotechnology and pharmaceutical professionals based both locally and overseas 8. Relatively homogenous ethnic Chinese population, ideal for the development of an Asian-prevalent-disease-related biotech industry 9. Qualified RD personnel who are capable of establishing a knowledge economy to reflect Taiwans uniqueness 10. Advanced traditional agricultural technology to support development of agricultural biotechnology Opportunities: 1. The key industry in the governments Challenge 2008 six-year national development plan 2. The listed incentive industry among newly encouraged emerging strategic industries 3. Rising demand in better living standards in the Asia-Pacific; and growing economy and market for potential development 4. Increasing number of strategic alliances and technology transfer cases 5. RD and precision processing sectors are ready to take advantage of the growing global trend towards outsourcing in the biotechnology industry. 6. Right timing for endless business opportunities in post human gene decoding 7. High value-added, long life cycle and value chain of biotechnology; many points of entry available, from RD to marketing 8. Flourishing biotechnology RD service industries (technical evaluation, RD design, intellectual property services, and start-up incubation services) 9. Many large-sized high-quality medical centers, providing optimal conditions for undertaking clinical trials 10. Clear market segmentation from temperate zone products of advanced countries with Taiwans sub-tropical climate to develop Asian sub-tropical agricultural biotechnology 11. Plentiful related information aggregated from National Health Insurance program 12. Diseases associated with a modern sedentary lifestyle, with potential for drug and disease screening technology platforms Objective. RECOMMENDATIONS 1. Although there are a few biotech companies but all of them are small scale operators. Hence a consolidation programme can be started. 2. Since biotech is going to help pharmaceutical companies in a big way hence pharma companies can make a conscious effort to start RD centers with emphasis on biotechnology. 3. Although the government is supportive of the sector but not many FDIs have been invited. The government can specifically invite FDIs in this sector. 4. Large companies like Biocon and Brighton Research labs should be asked to set up facilities. They can be promised access to markets in mainland China through Taiwan. 5. Most of the raw materials required is being imported, so the government can devise strategies to develop auxiliary industries and make the sector self sufficient. 6. Newer and more challenging topics can be taken up to study. Like human genome sequencing which would help in determining the genetic causes for diseases like cancer and AIDS.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Essay --

John Dalton, J. J Thomson, Earnest Rutherford, Niels Bohr and Louis de Broglie are just a few scientists that have helped to create and shape ideas on what an atom and its components are. Dalton was the first to develop the modern atomic theory, although much of his theory is still true today, Dalton's theory has not proven to be one hundred percent correct. So what does that mean everyone who has been learning Dalton’s theory? That they are all wrong? That they shouldn’t learn from his theory anymore? Exactly. And why would you when Earnest Rutherford’s latest, improved and more precise atomic theory is what everyone is using now. John Dalton is the scientist credited for proposing the atomic theory, the law of constant composition and the Law of Multiple Proportions. This theory explains several concepts that are relevant to our knowledge of chemistry in today’s society. This includes what a pure gold necklace is made of, what makes the pure gold necklace different than a pure silver necklace, and what occurs when pure gold is mixed with copper. Dalton’s theory consists of: ...

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Should tourism be developed further in Kenya?

Where is Kenya? Kenya is in east Africa, and is bordered by countries such as Tanzania Uganda, Ethiopia and Somalia. The longitude of Kenya is 38 degrees and the latitude is 0 degrees. The capital city of Kenya is Nairobi and one of the most important towns is Mombassa. This country is bordered to the east by the Indian Ocean, and is on the equator. Why do tourists visit Kenya? Tourists visit Kenya for many reasons. The two most popular types of holidays are safari holidays and beach holidays. These are the two types of places were tourists go to enjoy their holidays and also the scenery and atmosphere. They also like to look at the way and find out about the traditional ways of life and how they are lived, by this countries people. When tourists go on safari holiday's majority of the tourists sit back, relax and enjoy the hot sunny weather and they vacation in the national parks and stay in the lodges. During this visit they travel in the minibuses to see the beautiful wildlife, which Kenya offers. This is where the famous world animals live, for example; giraffes, leopards, elephants, others include lions, rhinoceros, flamingos' and many others. They also take photographs of the wildlife to keep souvenirs, however tourists may also by souvenirs from the different masaii shops, in villages, in the national parks. Tourists may also do different activities, which the national parts in Kenya offer, like hot air balloon safari, mountain trekking and also investigating famous buildings. The other type of most exotic popular place tourists enjoy is the scenery; hot, clean, golden sandy beaches where the tourists enjoy sun bathing. As the weather is hot, the warm sea is also hot. The sea is used for water sports such as, jet skiing, snorkelling swimming in the sea, lake cruises, and glass bottomed boot rides, where the beautiful shells and tropical fishes can be seen and the coral reef. The place that they stay at includes restaurants and modern hotels. They enjoy themselves at bars, where they provide exotic foods. Sports and activities include playing golf, traditional dances high club, traditional crafts and others. This is where and why tourists visit these two popular exotic places. How developed is Kenya? Here I will explain and give detail of how developed Kenya actually is to begin with Kenya has a lower level of development than Japan. I am going to show this by comparing Kenya to Japan. There is a lot of evidence to show that Kenya is a LEDC country meaning it is a less economically developed country. To begin with I am going to write about the birth rate of Kenya is much higher birth rate of Japan. In a way of good thing, however it may also be a bad thing. The good thing is that many workers can help in the industry, where as, on the other hand the bad thing is that more children will be born and will want to be independent, which would coat a lot of money. The birth rate of Kenya is a vast amount of 38 per thousand and Japan has only 10 per thousand. This means that Kenya has a much higher life expectancy at 50 years, compared to Kenya, which has a life expectancy of 54 years. This basically means that majority of Kenyans' people die at a very young age and for this reason, the death rate of Kenya is an incredible 12 per thousand each year and because Japan has a longer life expectancy, it has only 7 per thousand, in their death rate. This could also mean that many people can die young in Kenya, due to not having a lot of access to safe water of sanitation. I know that this is true because only 49% of Kenyans' people have access to safe water, and Japan on the other hand has a shocking 95%. This can be one of the many reason why' the country Japan has a higher life expectancy as well as less amount of people dying compared to Kenya. Lack of money can also be a problem as the money that the people of Kenya ahs is very less, as they cannot afford to pay for there bills, or the government cannot provide it for them, and that is the reason they have to work for a longer of time, and Japan can provide their people with sufficient amenities, as Japan is a country with less people and is an MEDC country. One other good fact is that the male adult literacy of Kenya is only 86% and female is 70%, where as Japans both male and female adult literacy is a shocking 99%; this clearly can state that once again Japan can afford the money for their people and Kenya cannot. If Kenya could then the adults would have an education, which would enable them to get a better career and a job. It cannot provide all amenities like telephones and TV sets for all its people and Japan can. All the above clearly states that Japan can be dependent on its people and government, afford the money, and therefore is a much more richer MEDC country than Kenya, which places or puts in a LEDC country position. How does Kenya earn money? Kenya exports mainly primary goods which includes tea, coffee and horticulture also known as flour, which has a low value and imports mainly manufactured goods such as industrial machinery, motor vehicles, iron and steal, wheat, and many others which have a high value. This means that Kenya gets very little for its exports but has to pay a lot for its imports. This courses Kenya to have a trade difficult. In 1992 Kenyans trade difficult was ik 1000 million. Kenya has had to borrow money from other countries, which basically means that it is in depth. It also has to pay interest on the loan. All this means that Kenya does not have enough money to spend on hospitals, schools which also means providing education, transport such as trains, busses, and cars, and also tractors. Which would help to develop the country. How does Kenya benefit from tourism? Tourism to Kenya is very important, as it makes a lot of money for the country. Tourism has created many jobs opportunities in Kenya even though some may not be very well educated. Some jobs include people needed to work in hotels as chefs for the tourist's people to eat, waitresses, maids, security guards, cleaners etc that the employees get a good wage and a better standard of living. The more money they earn the more tourism going. People such as tourists pay money to stay in the hotels, which then the hotels need to provide things such as cleaning which then they would have to employ a maid/cleaner, and other activities. In the hotels there are jobs such as the receptionists who check all the tourists in and use the telephone apparently, the maid provides food and service for the tourists and the chef cooks the food. There are also many other jobs like shopkeepers, whom earn money by selling souvenirs. All these jobs provide a better standard of living, as they would earn better wages. By tourists coming it has provided and created jobs for employees. Tourism also provides indirect employment, e. g. : farmers can grow food for the hotels. Tour companies who run the safari holidays need people to work, as there is more people where tourists go for amusements therefore more jobs are created. Other jobs includes bus owners whom take the tourists to visit the spectacular scenery, people whom blow he hot air balloons, which is another attraction and amusements that the tourist like to visit and see, and many others also benefit. I. E. : the government also make money from tourism, as they tax every single person whom owns a job, and earns wages. They also tax the tourists when they come on the holiday when paying towards there flight fare/air port ticket. The tour operators make money from the profits that they charge when the tourist pay for the amusements which also includes hot air balloon safari and souvenir sellers. However tourism to Kenya is very important. This is shown as tourism has employed 40,000 to maintain a proper job. The amount of tourist in 1960 was only 150,000, which has in 1990 risen to 900,000, which is approximately 6 times greater, which also means that tourism has become a very important site. The money earned from tourism in 1960 in US$ was 51. 8 million which also has increased to 467 million, which is 9 times greater, which is equal to half of Kenyans exports. However there is also a very important reason to why Kenya does not make a very large profit. One main reason is that Kenya imports goods from many different MEDC countries such as air conditioning from Canada, or office machines from the USA, Carpets from the UK, etc, which is all provided for the hotels that the tourist stay at. This means that the money, which Kenya earns, leaks out by them paying for unnecessary imported goods payment to foreign owners and co-owners with Kenyans and travel arrangements. It is stated that foreigners earn an estimate of 70% of what the tourist pay for their beach holidays, and 40% of tourist's payments. This in other words means that if Kenya did not make large profits it would be more in depth. What effects has tourism had on different groups of people? Tourism has effected many different groups of people, however the two which has most been effected have been the Masaii people and the Muslim people. The masaii people, have been effected in many reasons, one of which is that they had to leave there home, which now has become an amusement park or national parks and have had t move to th edge of them, without receiving no compensation whatsoever, and that is also another reason why they have had a loss in there grazing land. Theses people have now become a game reserve, they are now not seen as human begins but have become a tourist attraction in life with no self-esteem and they face criticism, and have no rights. Their old homes before hey had to move have now become funfairs and lodges and they have lost all hat they once use to own. Sacred rituals once performed by the masaii people now become old-fashioned shows. Kenyans are becoming second class citizens in there own country, unable to go to the beach encase they spoil the scenery and other things. This is also another reason why the number of tourists increases. But also this can e a good thing as it provides these masaii people with jobs from the national parks. The other main group of people affected is the Muslim culture/ Muslim population of the coast. They now have to live in a different type of society. In Islamic religion women have to wear -long black garments covering there entire body except their eyes, as it is a sin to advertise themselves to men. However tourist find it so hot that when they walk thorough theses kind of people they feel different. The tourists wear such things like bikinis or even go topless, and this is a great disrespect to the Muslim inhabitants. This also influences the youngsters of Kenya to wear such things. They do not always respect traditional culture/clothing. Another point is that the souvenir trade is such damage that can occur to the cultural and religious side. This happens when tourists buy something sacred just because it looks good. Even a tourist to a religious building can cause grief due to inappropriate behaviour or unacceptable dress. Tourism has also lead to the opening of many bars and nightclubs in Muslim areas. This again is a disregard for there culture as alcohol is strictly prohibited. Another point Is that these tourist have also bought with them drugs, and other things like this to Kenya. These tourists lead to thousands of Kenyans turning to prostitution for money, which is another main disrespect to the Muslim society. What effect has tourism had on the environment? Tourism has also had an effect on the environment. The ecosystem in the Savannah grasslands involve hot air balloon safari which makes a lot of loud Noise, which then drives the animals to move out, as they produce such racket and sparks which frightens the animals away. The lodges produce lot of rubbish from the left over food, which the people working there, just throw out, and drop it on the outside places, that those animals that are hunting smell the smell, and come to eat such leftovers. This food can be poison and then can kill the poor animals, and for this reasons the animals can become scarce, as they would die out easily. The other reason is the minibuses, which tour the tourists. The tourists visiting the safari places go to see animals in their natural habitats and open environments. Tourists have a huge impact on the animals that they go to see. Tourists are driven around the parks in specially adapted minibuses with open tops so that they can view and photograph the animals. These minibuses want there tourists to be pleased and happy therefore take them to see the animals close and about forty minibuses go and do this each day, around one animal. Because of this the animals are disturbed and harassed and the flashes of the camera also scare away the animals. The drivers not thinking twice pass over the grassland, which gradually wears away, increasing soil erosion and become roads. This means that the vegetation needed for the animals is reduced as they have no fresh grass to eat, which then would make them hungry, and as we know hunger can kill. Also those minibuses tours use the roads in such a way that by them speeding, without them knowing they blow the dust in the air which means that the air would become polluted very quickly, and this could also cause damage to the animals and people of Kenya and also to the environment. Also Another main point is that the coral reef ecosystem is also damaged. This is done in several different ways. Firstly the tourist visit these places and tend to take and pick shells and rocks nd other things from the sea to take as souvenirs, and if each tourist did this then they would destroy the coral reef completely. They tend to stand in the coral reef and their weight and by them stepping on it, it can also cause wreck the coral reef. The tour guides try to impress the tourist by placing anchors in the coral reef, and because of this daily invasion the coral reef would gradually wear out and turn into rubble and ruins. Are there any better ways of developing tourism in Kenya? There are many different ways that would be better ways to develop tourism in Kenya. Firstly let me explain what sustainable development means. This means that it is a progress that can continue year after year and does not waste resources, it improves the quality of life of people and does not damage the quality of life, and that it does not harm the environment either now or in the future. There are many reasons, which would make mass tourism more sustainable For example you should allow people to continue living there traditional ways of life instead of threatening or disrupting there lives, therefore those tourists should respect and wear clothing which is suitable for the masaii people and Muslim culture so no harm is caused. . They should improve people's lives and benefit the local community e. g. schools and healthcare, instead of making large profits for foreign firms while the local people live on poverty. They could do this by giving some money to the community instead of keeping it all to themselves, they should protect the environment and not damage or destroy the natural environment by not placing so many vehicles in one place at one time, or driving on top of the grass. They should also allow local people to use their own skill and knowledge instead of relying on the skill and knowledge of feign expertise. There are different groups of people that could do different things to improve tourism in Kenya; example travel companies could chose destinations that are not overcrowded. They should choose tour operators who are supportive to ecosystem. This way the grasslands and the animals would not get disturbed as much, as they would have less amount of people bothering them. They could also make booklets to inform the tourists about the coral reef, and not to damage it, and to wear appropriate clothing, so that they know before hand, instead of knowing when they reach Kenya. This way at least the people would have a bit of respect for the Kenyan people. The government can have laws such as that those drivers whom pass over the grassland they should be fined or their license taken away from them. They should take license away for those whom are tour guides and allow the tourists to damage its coral reef. They should all agree to a contact which includes rules and regulations. The esonki conservation area is on the edge of the Ambseli national parks and during the rainy season much of ambselies wildlife passes through. By using such service tourists can stay in luxurious safari tents, with showers, flush toilets, and solar powered electric lights, it is all low impact and can be removable, which means that it does not cause any damage to the environment, tourist can enjoy real African experience with truly wild animals. It is all run by the masaii. There are twenty-six masaii trained as rangers. They work in camp, cooking and serving meals, on building roads. The masaii can rule themselves without being told what to do. They get a rent fee for the conservation area, an entrance fee from each tourist and a fee for every tourist for every night that they stay. The profits that they make have paid for a local school and healthcare, and also many other things for the community. Tourists could wear appropriate clothing, which would not effect nor offend the Muslim culture. In conclusion I believe that yes tourism should be developed further in Kenya, by using and making an ecosystem, that does not harm the environment, nor effect its people. I do not think that Kenya can achieve economic development without tourism, as it will earn less money jus from exporting tea and coffee. Tourists should respect peoples peace, privacy a and lands this would allow the Kenyans to live life as peacefully as they want, and does not destroy there traditional ways of life as it would be more crucial for them to live a better standard of living if they did not get tourists pushing them about, and telling them what to do. They should remember that they are a guest and behave accordingly, as this would make them aware that they do not have the right to do things that would effect the people around there lives. They should respect religious places and do not touch religious objects. This would also make them have that significance that it does not belong to them and they should not touch sacred souvenirs even though that would affect the souvenir shopkeepers. They should follow all rules and regulations regarding protected areas for wildlife, as this would make the animals more protected to the environment and live there life according to there habitats and do not have to be scared of living in there own areas. They should dress appropriately, as this would reduce the amount of prostitution and would also show respect o the people of Kenya. They should not touch, chase or harass animals or marine life, for the reason mentioned before. They should also leave plants and marine life to flourish in their natural environment as this would improve Kenya's scenery and would become better food for the animals. They should also not try to waste water as this would be a useful recourse and would not waste a lot of Kenya's money. Switch off lights and air conditioning if you go out which once again would be supporting the local economy. They should ask before taking photographs as this would be another respectful thing for Kenya and would not scare away the animals because of there flash. All the above-mentioned things are a code of conduct which tourist should keep in mind when visiting Kenya.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Drinking and driving Essay

On Jan.8, 2002, President Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) that became the education-reform bill. The No Child Left Behind is most sweeping education-reform bill since 1965 that made changes to the the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The No Child Left Behind plays a big part in the life’s of students, parents, teachers, and the future of the educational system. â€Å"No longer content to provide access to education for traditionally extended students populations, we are now demanding that these students receive equally good educations.† In other words, administrations are now demanding equality of quality. President Bush thinks that all students are title to high quality education, treated equal, fair, and to be safe while at school. The No Child Left Behind places significant responsibilities on state educational agencies, school districts, principals, and the teachers. â€Å"In 2002 the federal government returned to the force front in potentially historic fashion.† With the passage of No Child Left Behind, supported by bipartism majorities in Congress, the nation committed itself to the achievement of every student in America. The No Child Left Behind in the federal system the United States for every education state and school districts fail to meet the requirements of No Child Left Behind Act that will be held accountable, with the opportunity to improve their down fall. Each state makes their own standards for what a child should know and learn for grades, for math and reading the standards should be developed first. Every student should be tested by the standards. All school districts should make adequate yearly progress toward meeting their state standards. Schools that fail need all the support they can get to improve their progress. The school or District shall come up with an idea that’s going to meet all necessary to make higher goals. The No Child Left Behind has a standardize by making sure that all teachers were high. The No CLB Act has In the article (Teacher’s Views on No child left behind) teachers was the no child left behind law â€Å"The federal legislation provides considerable discretion to states that can develop their own academic content standards, choose the tests they will administer, and specify the minimum scores students must obtain to be declared â€Å"proficient†. The no child left behind law increased the attention to many schools that pay to academic achievement and to disadvantage children that make it better. â€Å"As a result, the skills, and knowledge of the subgroups of children that historically have not increased as rapidly under many state tests would suggest. Second, no child left behind has increased the efforts of schools scores, third, adequate yearly progress rules; some states increased the migration of experienced teachers out of school serving high concentrations of low – performing students. No child left behind represents that parents of students who are attending title I schools are given the option to transfer their students to another school in the district for improvement status, If a student requested to be transferred shall be allowed to transfer. The No Child Left Behind, has two new educational options, -supplemental educational services and school choice for title I schools for restricting, improvement, and corrective action by the options depends on parental decisions. Parents will know their student assessments. If the school needs improvement the parent will be informed. Conclusion: The No Child Left Behind Act is great. Every child should have the right to receive an education, and be safe while in school. There so many jobs and opportunities will be required to have a college degree in order for a student to have success in life they need an education. The No Child Left Behind Act helps and gives students the impossible they did not have. The No  Child Left Behind made school districts accountability achievement. ON January 8, 2002 President Bush signed the No Child Left Behind (NCLB), Act the reform bill improves student’s goals on the state- wide testing, and The No Child Left Behind has admirable goal of improvement in the educational system. President Bush thinks that no child should be left behind and that all children are entitled to education, treated fair and to be safe. No matter what the student is, their race, where they live, they should be entitled to an equal education. References’ Abernathy, S. (2007). No child left behind and the public schools {electronic resource} / Scott Franklin Abernathy. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, c2007. Michigan Press. In 2001 the author researcher at Ann Arbor: University of President George W. Bush’s education reform legislation, the no child left behind act (H.R. 1). Testing and accotability provisions Chubb, J.E. (2009). Learning from no child left behind {electronic resource}: how and why the nation’s most important but The Author research stand ford, California. : hoover institution Murnane, R., Papay, J. (2010). Teacher’s views on no child left behind: support for the principles, concerns about the practices. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 24(3), 151- 166 Programs, all other Miscellaneous Schools Believes that the school should not be accountable for teaching all children well. The No child left behind is to improve all students’ performance. Put students’ performance in data gives the parents opportunity to see the child’s performance. Students that attend low-performing schools start to develop discipline issues, their want to be transferred to a better – performing school. School that doesn’t need their goals will offer including free tutoring, and after school instruction. Randolph, K., & Wilson – Younger, D. (2012). †Is No Child Left Behind Effective For All Students?† Parents don’t think so. Online submission. The author’s researchers Database: ERIC. Since the No child left behind is to discuss the advantage of the core requirements for its implementation. Parents have concerns whether the children are really learning. Zimmer, R., Gill, B., Raquin, Booker, K., Lockwood, J., & Department of education, w.c (2007). State and Local Implementation of the â€Å"No Child Left Behind† (Nls-â€Å"nclb†). The author researchers us department of  education. The key component the no child left behind for the parent children that were attending title I school options for corrective action, improvement, failure achieve toward meeting state standards.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Who Is More Powerful Prime Minister Blair Or President Clinton essays

Who Is More Powerful Prime Minister Blair Or President Clinton essays "We know that no one ever seizes power with the intention of relinquishing it" . In co-operation President Clinton and Prime Minister Blair are renowned for being capable and powerful politicians, be it through the media or through the publics own perceptions this has been shown through high profile world politics in which both men have had major roles. An example of this has been with the Kosovan war in which both leaders joined together showing how important their decisions were. Clinton and Blair have both proved their abilities in gaining public support and retaining the approval given to them from the majority in the form of power. Equally they have retained this power in the face of austere media coverage, as with the Monica Lewinsky scandal involving Clinton or being Blair at the present time. The roles of President and Prime Minister have long been considered the highest positions of political power that resides in America and Britain. However both draw on different sources f or their power and stability in these roles. It is for this reason that the stability of these sources and the extent to which Clinton and Blair can make independent changes must be accessed if we are to understand the limitations of their power. Both Clinton and Blair have different power bases from which to be judged. Ostensibly it is President Clinton who appears to have the most significant power base as the political leader of one of the most influential countries in the world. As a significant military power, America is seen as a powerful ally in times of conflict. In addition to, as commander and chief of a military superpower Clinton has reflected power with the ability to represent America's interests abroad with substantial force as with the Gulf War, in this way Clinton can certainly be perceived to be more militarily powerful than any other leader. America's economic force is also an essential factor in establishing the importance of ...

Sunday, October 20, 2019

The Cross-Cultural Management Implications for a UK Manager Undertaking an International Business Assignment to another Country The WritePass Journal

The Cross-Cultural Management Implications for a UK Manager Undertaking an International Business Assignment to another Country Abstract The Cross-Cultural Management Implications for a UK Manager Undertaking an International Business Assignment to another Country [online]).   China is large, both in terms of size (3.7 million square miles) and population (1.3 billion).  Ã‚   Its capital is Beijing, and its population largely (92%) Han Chinese, with the remainder 55 different ethnic minority groups. Although officially an atheist country, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism and Daoism are practiced.   Mandarin is the main language, although there are a number of local dialects, and the currency is the Yuan or Renminbi (Foreign and Commonwealth Office 2012 [online]). China’s communist government have, over the last 30 years, brought about substantial change to bring about market-oriented economic systems (Gore 2011) in order to deliver the prosperity that it seemed the Marxist system could not provide (Grant 2005). The transformation has been built upon the large workforce, offering the possibility of cheap labour and hence low-cost manufacturing. It has seen economic reforms which have meant China have become a force in the global business market (Brandt and Rawski 2006).   China is, however, culturally very different from the UK, and in order to conduct business successfully it is essential to understand these differences and the impact on management. 2. Cross-Cultural Theorists Two theorists, Hofstede and Trompenaars, are particularly useful for understanding the differences between cultures. Hofstede has been very influential in contemporary management theory attempts to understand cross-cultural differences. His ideas were rooted in a large scale study of IBM (Matsumoto and Juang 2012), and involve five different dimensions which characterise a nation.   Each country has a different value for each dimension, and a unique picture of the cultural nature of that country is built up through all five dimensions. The five dimensions are power distance, individualism / collectivism, masculinity / femininity, degree of uncertainty avoidance, and time orientation   (Hofstede 1984).  Ã‚   Power distance concerns the extent to which people are happy with an unequal society, and the extent to which the society is hierarchical with a large gap between the powerful and those without power.   A low power distance country, for example, would be more egalitarianis m and intolerant of power imbalance.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Individualism / collectivism refers to the extent to which people think of themselves as individuals or as part of a group.  Ã‚   Individualistic societies are competitive and value creativity for example (Phillips and Gully 2011).   The dimension of masculinity and femininity expresses the extent to which the culture displays predominantly masculine values: gender roles are clearly defined, assertiveness and striving are praised. In a feminine culture roles are more fluid and more caring values respected (Tian 2004). Uncertainty avoidance refers to how comfortable people are with ambiguity. Cultures high on this like rules and regulations   (Sorrentino 2005).  Ã‚   Interestingly for the context of this report, Hofstede’s final dimension was based on data collected from China, with the help of Michael Harris Bond (Berry et al 1997).  Ã‚   Time orientation concerns the way in which people think about time, with a d istinction between short-term and long-term orientation. Cultures which are short-term oriented life in the moment, while long-term cultures are strong on planning (Daft and Marcic 2010). Trompenaars (1993) model can be seen as a development of Hofstede’s ideas. He suggested seven different dimensions, again based on a large-scale study across many different countries. These dimensions cover three main areas: how people relate to others, their perceptions of time, and their experiences of the environment (Lane 2004).   The seven dimensions overlap with Hofstede’s dimensions to some extent, with some being very similar and others new.   The dimensions he specifies are: Universal v. particular: whether the society is organised around set rules and procedures or whether the needs of the individuals come first Individual v. collectivism: whether people predominantly act for themselves or think about the group Affective v. neutral: whether people are predominantly demonstrative emotionally, or are controlled and rational Specific v. diffuse: whether organisational systems determine employee behaviour, or systems arise out of the needs and perspectives of individuals. Achievement v. ascription: whether achievement or background, education and other fixed variables assumed to be important about people Sequential v. synchronous: whether time is seen fixed and linear or flexible and open Internal v. external control: whether people believe that nature can be controlled through human will, or human beings are part of nature and subject to its laws. (Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner 2004). While Trompenaars is clearly influenced by Hofstede’s work, Hofstede has criticised the former for lacking the intellectual rigour he believes the five dimensional model possesses.   Hofstede has also attracted criticism, for example that five dimensions are inadequate to fully capture the complexity of cultural differences (Browaeys and Price 2008).   Despite criticisms, however, both these models are useful to help understand how cultures differ from each other, and will influence the next section. 3. Discussion / Analysis According to Hofstede (Geert-hofstede.com 2012 [online]) (see appendix), China and the UK show fairly different cultural styles. They are, however, identical for masculinity / femininity (66) and near-identical for uncertainty avoidance.  Ã‚   Both the UK and China tend towards masculinity in society, with drivenness and competition valued. Additionally, both are low for uncertainty avoidance, in other words, both societies are happy with ambiguity and believe rules should be followed flexibly and selectively. Both societies are adaptable, which encourages entrepreneurship. China is higher than the UK for power distance (80 v. 35), that is, China is comfortable with hierarchy, power structure and wide gaps between people. There is more likelihood of abuse of power, and authority is important. Aspiration above ones status is unacceptable.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the UK, people see each other as equals to a greater extent, have less respect for authority, do not tolerate abuses of power, and aspire to change their status. There is also a gap between the UK and China in regards to individualism, with the UK scoring much higher (89 v. 20). In other words, in China there is a much higher degree of interdependence between people, with people defining themselves as part of a group.   In the UK the tendency is to think about oneself, and one’s family before society as a whole. Chinese people act to serve the group rather than themselves, and are likely to have much higher organisational commitment, as well as feeling it acceptable for closer groups (e.g. family) to get preferential treatment at work. Whereas UK people tend to be generally agreeable to those outside the preferred group, in highly collectivist societies those outside their group may be demonised. China are much more long-term oriented than the UK. There is a greater value placed on persistence and long-term goals. They are happy to save and be economical with resources, and have great respect for the past and for tradition.   By contrast, people in the UK are more able to enjoy the moment, and can be flexible with regards to goals. According to Trompenaars, China is one of the most particularist of the countries he looked at (Rugman and Collinson 2008), meaning that they look at the particular case and take all circumstances into account, rather than looking at general principles. For example, an employer in a particularist culture might excuse poor work behaviour if the individual’s circumstances offer a good reason.   In addition, China scores highly for affectivity, level of diffuseness and external control (Aswathappa 2010).  Ã‚   That is, people conduct business in an emotional way, displaying emotions openly, do not have a strong sense of the barriers between public and private life, and feel that fate plays a stronger role in what happens to an individual or organisation than choice and self-motivation. While there are some similarities, China and UK have a very different cultural make-up, according to both sets of dimensions. What impact does this have on business styles?   This can be considered in terms of different areas.   For team work, for example, the high-power distance might mean that Chinese staff are uncomfortable with sharing feedback and frank discussions. However, their low individualism suggests that they would put the team before themselves, and would therefore be motivated by team-based rewards. UK staff, by contrast, might find sharing opinions as a team fairly easy, as they have a lower power distance, but might put their own interests before those of the team or organisation as a whole. In terms of communication, China have high affectivity, which suggests they might work better if communication styles are emotional rather than neutral. For example, written communications in the UK tend towards formal business English: a more open and friendly style might suit the Chinese market more.   Additionally, China scores highly for diffuseness against specificity. That is, there may be a tendency for communications to be more roundabout, with things left unsaid or communicated non-verbally. Diffuse cultures also have a higher degree of overlap between work and home (Amant 2007), which may mean that there is a greater reliance on shared experience upon which to base communication amongst the Chinese. There is also a need for a different management style, to take into account the greater power distance in China. Whereas UK workers respond better to power sharing and partnership styles, in China there may be a need to confirm the hierarchy, making it clear who is in charge, and defining roles carefully.  Ã‚   However China also score highly for particularism, which suggests that management needs to take into account the details of each situation, rather than rigidly follow rules. Employees are likely to expect that rules can be bent to suit circumstance. Motivation and performance management are also likely to differ across the cultures. As mentioned, China scores much lower for individualism, which suggests that team-based rewards would be more motivating for them than in the UK.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   China are also markedly more long-term oriented, which means employees are likely to respond to goals set for the distant future, rather than needing near-instant reward.   There is also an issue here for motivating teams which consist of employees from both China and the UK, as each employee group is likely to have a different perspective on what is a motivating factor. The higher score for China on external control suggests that employees are less likely to enjoy spontaneous decision making. As they feel that the forces which drive business are located outside of themselves, this removes some of the responsibility for making decisions, and places it in the hands of fate, or higher authorities in the organisation. This is confirmed by the high power distance in China, which suggests that employees are very comfortable with letting decision making be carried out by those higher in the corporate hierarchy. By contrast, UK employees are likely to desire more participation in decisions. Negotiation should also be handled with care.   The higher affectivity and diffuse culture in China may mean that great attention needs to be paid to the non-verbal cues when negotiation takes place.  Ã‚   The higher power distance might also mean that negations need to be carried out between staff perceived to be at similar levels. In addition to the dimensional analysis of culture, Tian (2007) suggests that negotiation in China is determined by a set of core traditional values including the importance of sincerity and trust, respect for age and hierarchy, maintaining social harmony and avoiding getting angry or being unpleasant to others.   This might mean that negotiation between two people of very different ages might be tricky, for example. 4. Conclusions Although they have some common areas, for example similarly masculine cultures and a similar tolerance of uncertainty,   China and the UK have key cultural differences which are likely to impact attempts to manage a diverse work team.   In particular, China employees are likely to be much more comfortable with hierarchy and unequal distribution of power, to value the group over the individual, to be focussed upon the long-term (but less likely to react spontaneously to the moment).   They are also more likely to expect rules to be bent to the particular case, to attribute the cause of events to circumstances or agents external to themselves, and to prefer styles of communication which heavily emphasise the non-verbal and tacit.   While, to a certain extent, globalisation has meant that cultural diversity is threatened, (Homann et al 2007), to be successful management needs to anticipate and plan for difference. 5. Recommendations Recognise that hierarchy has a more important role in China Adapt communication styles to pay attention to context, body-language and assumed information Plan team-work to incorporate two very different perspectives on the relative importance of the individual and the group Ensure Chinese employees are kept fully informed about the long-term perspective 6. References Aswathappa, K (2010) International Business (4th edn.), Tata McGraw-Hill Education, India. Berry, J W, Portinga, Y H and Pandey, J (1997) Handbook of Cross-cultural Psychology: Social behavior and applications (2nd edn.), John Berry. Brandt, L and Rawski, T G (2006) Chinas Great Economic Transformation, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge and New York. Browaeys, M-J and Price, R (2008) Understanding cross-cultural management, Pearson Education, Harlow, Essex Daft, R L and Marcic, D (2010) Understanding Management (7th edn.), Cengage Learning, Belmont, CA. Foreign and Commonwealth Office (2012) ‘China: Country Information’ [online] (cited 22nd February 2012), available from fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/travel-advice-by-country/country-profile/asia-oceania/china Geert-hofstede.com (2012) ‘What about China?’, [online] (cited 22nd February 2012), available from http://geert-hofstede.com/china.html ‘What about china?’, Gore, L (2011) The Chinese Communist Party and Chinas capitalist revolution: the political impact of the market, Taylor Francis, Oxon. Grant, R G (2005) Communism: Systems of government,   Evans Brothers. Hofstede, G H (1984)   Cultures consequences: international differences in work-related values (2nd edn), SAGE, Thousand Oaks, CA Homann, K, Koslowski, P and Luetge, C (2007) Globalisation and business ethics, Ashgate Publishing, Ltd, Aldershot, Hants. Lane, H W (2004) The Blackwell handbook of global management: a guide to managing complexity, John Wiley Sons / Blackwell, Oxon. Matsumoto, D and Juang, L (2012) Culture and Psychology (5th edn), Cengage Learning, Belmont CA Phillips, J and Gulley, S M (2011) Organizational Behavior: Tools for Success, Cengage Learning, Belmont, CA. Rugman, A M and Collinson, S (2008) International Business (5th edn.), Pearson Education, Harlow, Essex St. Amant, K (2007)   Linguistic and cultural online communication issues in the global age, Idea Group Inc, Hershey PA Sorrento, R M (2005) Culture and social behaviour, Routledge, UK Tian, Q (2004) A transcultural study of ethical perceptions and judgements between Chinese and German businessmen, Martin Meidenbauer Verlag, Germany Tian, X (2007) Managing international business in China, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Trompenaars, F (1993) Riding the waves of culture: understanding cultural diversity in business, Economist Books. Trompenaars, F and Hampden-Turner, C (2004) Managing people across cultures, Capstone. UK Trade and Investment (2012) ‘China’ [online] (cited 22nd February 2012), available from ukti.gov.uk/export/countries/asiapacific/fareast/china.html

Saturday, October 19, 2019

An Analysis Of Plato And Rousseau Ideologies Theology Religion Essay

An Analysis Of Plato And Rousseau Ideologies Theology Religion Essay The general definition of education is the transmission and learning of cultural technique by a group of individuals that is able to satisfy its general needs, to protect each other against the hostility of physical and biological environment, and to work and live together peacefully. These all techniques are usually called culture, and a human society could not survive without its background of custom and culture. This concept can be applied in civil and primitive society; the primitive society is characterized by the role of education finalized to guarantee the immutability of the cultural techniques. On the other hand, in a civil society the education gives the opportunity to face new and mutable situations. At this point we can define two different forms of education: the one, which simply transmits the technique of work and behavior to maintain the natural immutability of human beings, and this concept is related to moral and religious education. The second form interests the r ole of education into a civic society. Its aim is to forge the individuals’ personalities by giving them the capacity to correct and improve their own education. This civic form of education analyzes the human being’s process of forming his own culture, and even the education becomes the aim and the goal of the entire process. For this reason, education has always been an important theme in political and social background. Since ancient age philosophers and scholars wrote about the main principles and general foundations of public and private education in a state. Famous emperors such as Charles the Great who attributed importance to the role of education into his empire, even if he was not a cultured king, considered education a relevant instrument for creating an homogeneous ruling class loyal to the empire and capable to create a unity for the formation of cultural traditions and customs. Therefore, education is a natural part of human beings’ development; it allows individuals to acquire some basic and relevant skills in attitude and mental thought that staying in animal stage they are not able to learn. The aim of this essay is to define the right definition of education in political theory field through the main and significant works of Plato and Rousseau, and to analyze its importance in the social and political common good. As it is mentioned before, both Plato and Rousseau have elaborated different ideas regarding the same topic of the role of education, the pedagogy, the formation of perfect philosopher-king and good social figure in their own conception of society. This essay wants to begin an analysis by comparing and contrasting the political and philosophical theories of there two thinkers. First of all, Plato’s Republic has defined more as an educational treatise rather than a political book (Rousseau 57); in fact, Plato’s philosophy is concentrated on ethics, he is interested in what and â€Å"how is the best to live† (Meckenzie 88). According to Plato, education is the base of the philosophical education of guardians and future citizens of the ideal city of the Politeia. Plato elaborates a new kind of education in line with the Socratic philosophy; in fact, the main speaker of dialogues in the Republic is Socrates himself, who embodies the philosophical soul and figure of which should be the skills and characteristics of the perfect philosopher-king. The conception of education in the Republic is explained through the philosophical concept of the Myth of the Cave; it is not a case that Plato decided to present education in the way of the myth. In ancient cultures, in particular in Greek culture, the myth indeed had been considered a kid of tale with a underlying meaning that through the heroic deeds of gods and semi-gods should have convey a specific learning for human beings. According to Arthur A. Krentz of Luther College in his Play and Education in Plato’s states: â₠¬Å"The Myth of the Cave is presented as a metaphor of education (paideia, 7.514a) but it may also serve as a model of the role of an educational mentor, such as Socrates. Thus we can compare Socrates to the free, philosophical wise man who reenters the nether-world of the dark caveà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ in order to attempt to rescue those who live in this shadowy worldà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ã¢â‚¬  With this quotation, we can understand that Plato-Socrates wants to outline a fixed model of elite education regarding to those people who are by natural inclinations more talented to cover the role of the guardian. In the Encyclopedia of Children and Childhood in History and Society, in the paragraph of The State as an Education Entity is expressed how Plato considers Education the core of his Republic alike the research of the meaning of justice. In fact, Plato is firmly persuaded that if guardian and future children are educated through Socratic philosophical ideas, the pursuit of the Public Good bec omes the principle at the base of the just City-State. Therefore, the passage that the other spokesmen have to understand before starting the investigation of justice is â€Å"what is the best education for philosopher-kings and in what does consist it?† In the opinion of Ariel Dillon â€Å"the ability to know is always within a man-faltering, but useful only depending on whether it is focused on the truth (518e)à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ anyone could be a philosopher with the right trainingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the purpose of the philosopher-kings’ education is eventually teach children how to distinguish right from wrong showing them the whole truth†. The knowledge and development process that philosophers undertake from the cave to the new world is long and difficult, but they are motivated by the inner truth that they own to achieve the common good for a just state. After the release from the cave where human beings are imprisoned and forced to see projected figures on the wa ll, philosophers start they path out of the cave; they will encounter the powerful light of the Sun and they are blinded by it, but afterwards a period of familiarization with the external world they acquire the truth and the capacity to become the real philosopher king and guardian. According to Arthur A. Krentz â€Å"the aim of the educational process is the fostering of the growth and development of the learner toward the ultimate objective of the individual’s contribution to a good society and the vision of the Good itself.† Plato has a altruistic vision of education in fact as Ariel Dillon states in her article Education in Plato’s Republic: † [the philosophers] must escape the cave, be educated in the good through philosophy (512c), and then return to the cave to rile and enlighten others (519d).

Friday, October 18, 2019

Issue 15 yes 2510 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Issue 15 yes 2510 - Essay Example assessment covered studies that had information on Africa, calculated cost and effectiveness, transmission rates and methods, drugs prices and their availability. The data from the studies were a spun of thirteen years. In most of the studies, the investigators depended on cost from the provider perspective only. Therefore, in order to ensure a wide comparability among the interventions, the report gives a standardized cost and effectiveness data (Haacker 25). However, the report has several limitations. The information was limited since not all the studies focused on the same things. The cost data was not enough to under go a standardized analysis. In addition, the study may underestimate the effects of some of the interventions. Therefore, the interpretation needs caution (Haacker 26). Despite the challenges in coming up with data, the information can still be accurately used to advice on the intervention in Africa. This is because it shows that despite the little information provided, it gives the direction needed to fight the spread of HIV/AIDS in Africa. The studies show that preventive methods are to be in place first, and then followed by the treatment cost on those already affected. Thus, the interventions potential maximizes and results to a general cost-effective mechanism (Haacker

Population, Resources, Environment, and Health [in the Developing Essay

Population, Resources, Environment, and Health [in the Developing World] - Essay Example Lindsay (2001, March) states that if the â€Å"current growth rate of 77 million new people a year† continues, it will lead to the nine billion in 2050 resulting in increased food, clothing, shelter and healthcare requirements in developing countries which are already deficient in these essentials (see Figure 1). A strong and effective strategy is required to slow down the population growth in developing countries. And this has to be done without affecting their economic, social and political strength. The main reason of higher fertility rate has to be considered first. The nations need to be educated about family planning methods and contraceptive techniques without making a taboo of this issue. But in order to start family planning programs and modernize the nation, the country will have to take loans from the developed world, so the developing countries also need to be supported economically so that they implement such programs that educate the nation to keep birth rate low. Energy. Developing countries do not have access to renewable energy which is directly related to the living standards. Australian Agency for International Development (2000) affirms that â€Å"in rural areas, particularly in remote locations, transmission and distribution of energy generated from fossil fuels can be difficult and expensive†. Thus, renewable energy is a good solution for these areas so as to meet the increasing demands effectively. Wind power. As fossil fuel supplies are small in developing countries, wind power requirement is increasing as the population grows. Wind power if used as a renewable resource will bring energy to even the remotest areas and it can also be converted to electrical and mechanical forms of energy. For developing countries, this is also economical. Water. Though water can be renewed to meet the demands, still the renewability can be done only to a certain limit. Thus, the increasing water requirements can be fulfilled only to a

Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Leadership - Essay Example Regarding educational qualification, Mulally pursued his graduation from University of Kansas. He also possesses educational certificates of Master of Science in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering. He also pursued Master’s degree in Management and Fellowship from MITs Sloan School of Management (Hoffman, 2012). Alan Mulally began his professional career as an engineer in Boeing. He was also the President of commercial Airplane Development in Boeing. One of the major contributions of Mulally is with regard to Boeing Commercial Airplanes’ (BCA) renaissance against the major competitor Airbus. The renaissance of BCA in 2000 has signified the effective leadership skill of Mulally. Moreover, the effective leadership of Mulally is evident from his contribution to Ford Motor Company. Mulally joining Ford Motor Company has transformed the organisation into one of the leading automakers in the world. He has provided a compelling vision to the organisation as an effective leader. He has also incorporated several strategies in the business process of the organisation that signifies his effective leadership skill (Hoffman, 2012). Alan Mulally started his professional career as an engineer in Boeing. In addition, effectiveness and efficiency he has as an engineering professional in the organisation has led him to achieve several milestones in the professional world. In this regard, one of his assets that greatly assisted him in several milestones is his effective leadership skill. His leadership is also notable as the CEO of Ford Motor Company. Mulally became an effective leader through his collaborative approach of work. Mulally at the beginning of his career at Boeing had shown effective collaborative approach. This has influenced him to be an effective team-man. Moreover, another attribute of Mulally that has influenced him in becoming an effective leader is the accountability in his work process. From the beginning of

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Week june 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Week june 2 - Essay Example West expression of San Cooke’s , â€Å"he [Cooke] expressed the centuries-held hope of black folks trapped in a country that considered them subhuman†¦Sam Cooke’s ‘Change’ brought with it a certain hard-earned sense of possibility tempered by reality† is actually a memoir of Cornel West poignant admiration of Sam Cooke’s optimism to pursue the black folks centuries-held hope which most black people have abandoned. This is contained in the book entitled â€Å"Living and Loving Out Loud† where Cooke initiated a dialogue about race and justice where Cooke’s idea of â€Å"change† was one of the topic of discourse as he provoke the reader about the passionate struggle of the black man in the not so distant past which may now have seemingly forgotten. The gist of the expression was simply about the unwavering belief that in due time, the blacks will be free from the shackles of slavery no matter how long it will take. This is also reflective in Peter Seeger song in the late 50s entitled To Everything There is a Season which is abbreviated as â€Å"Turn, Turn, Turn†. The lyrics of the song is consistent with Cooke’s hope for â€Å"Change† albeit Seegers version has religious connotation because it is lifted from the Holy Bible’s Book of Ecclesiastes in Chapter 3. Nevertheless, both work expressed that â€Å"there is a season for everything† including â€Å"change† that eventually, injustice against the black man will end which it did even if it took long and claimed many

Sexuality and Alzheimer's Disease Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Sexuality and Alzheimer's Disease - Lab Report Example A major ethical dilemma for nursing staff, who lack relevant training, is when Alzheimer patients express themselves in a sexual manner with other patients or care-givers. Nurses find themselves in a conflict situation between moral principle and professional duty in resolving these occurrences (Tabak & Shemesh Kigli, 2006). Research discloses that there is confusion and ignorance on the part of nursing staff and other care givers, regarding the issue of sexual relations among patients with dementia related to Alzheimer’s disease. Staff find it highly stressful to deal with this area of ward practice for which they completely lack any kind of training. Their professionalism and caring instinct to protect the patients’ dignity seriously conflicts against their anger and antagomism towards unseemly behavior on the part of elderly Alzheimer patients, especially if it is of a serious nature or if helpless elderly patients are victimized. Sometimes, staff’s lack of necessary awareness leads to their ill-treating or humiliating patients (Tabak & Shemesh-Kigli, 2006). One of the consequences of debilitating dementias such as Alzheimer’s disease and deep-rooted personality disorders â€Å"can lead to lowered impulse control and the emergence of inappropriate sexual behaviors† (Hillman, 2000: 62-63). Ethics and human rights also play an important part in this issue, since the sexual needs and the right to personal freedom of geriatric patients cannot be overlooked. To resolve the ethical dilemma, it is essential to investigate the situation by viewing the full picture, and understanding all the dynamics that contribute to the sexual relationship.

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Leadership - Essay Example Regarding educational qualification, Mulally pursued his graduation from University of Kansas. He also possesses educational certificates of Master of Science in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering. He also pursued Master’s degree in Management and Fellowship from MITs Sloan School of Management (Hoffman, 2012). Alan Mulally began his professional career as an engineer in Boeing. He was also the President of commercial Airplane Development in Boeing. One of the major contributions of Mulally is with regard to Boeing Commercial Airplanes’ (BCA) renaissance against the major competitor Airbus. The renaissance of BCA in 2000 has signified the effective leadership skill of Mulally. Moreover, the effective leadership of Mulally is evident from his contribution to Ford Motor Company. Mulally joining Ford Motor Company has transformed the organisation into one of the leading automakers in the world. He has provided a compelling vision to the organisation as an effective leader. He has also incorporated several strategies in the business process of the organisation that signifies his effective leadership skill (Hoffman, 2012). Alan Mulally started his professional career as an engineer in Boeing. In addition, effectiveness and efficiency he has as an engineering professional in the organisation has led him to achieve several milestones in the professional world. In this regard, one of his assets that greatly assisted him in several milestones is his effective leadership skill. His leadership is also notable as the CEO of Ford Motor Company. Mulally became an effective leader through his collaborative approach of work. Mulally at the beginning of his career at Boeing had shown effective collaborative approach. This has influenced him to be an effective team-man. Moreover, another attribute of Mulally that has influenced him in becoming an effective leader is the accountability in his work process. From the beginning of

Sexuality and Alzheimer's Disease Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Sexuality and Alzheimer's Disease - Lab Report Example A major ethical dilemma for nursing staff, who lack relevant training, is when Alzheimer patients express themselves in a sexual manner with other patients or care-givers. Nurses find themselves in a conflict situation between moral principle and professional duty in resolving these occurrences (Tabak & Shemesh Kigli, 2006). Research discloses that there is confusion and ignorance on the part of nursing staff and other care givers, regarding the issue of sexual relations among patients with dementia related to Alzheimer’s disease. Staff find it highly stressful to deal with this area of ward practice for which they completely lack any kind of training. Their professionalism and caring instinct to protect the patients’ dignity seriously conflicts against their anger and antagomism towards unseemly behavior on the part of elderly Alzheimer patients, especially if it is of a serious nature or if helpless elderly patients are victimized. Sometimes, staff’s lack of necessary awareness leads to their ill-treating or humiliating patients (Tabak & Shemesh-Kigli, 2006). One of the consequences of debilitating dementias such as Alzheimer’s disease and deep-rooted personality disorders â€Å"can lead to lowered impulse control and the emergence of inappropriate sexual behaviors† (Hillman, 2000: 62-63). Ethics and human rights also play an important part in this issue, since the sexual needs and the right to personal freedom of geriatric patients cannot be overlooked. To resolve the ethical dilemma, it is essential to investigate the situation by viewing the full picture, and understanding all the dynamics that contribute to the sexual relationship.

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Ethical Dilemma Essay Example for Free

Ethical Dilemma Essay In searching for a solution to the ethical dilemma of animal factories using antibiotics to keep animals well, I think there is only one solution; that is to stop buying animal products that come from these places. The hard part is getting more people to follow suit. The hard part about getting people to stop buying a certain product is that consumer’s don’t always know the risks or problems associated with a certain product, in this case, meat that is tainted with antibiotics. When consumers in the United States go to the grocery store or market, we are so hurried in our lives that checking where the food comes from often is not of importance. If consumers are to make a change, they first need to be educated, and this takes time, so someone has to get the word out, and on a large scale. I would contact major media sectors and draw their attention to the problem. I would check out Internet sources and make blogs or posts of my own. I myself would become an educated consumer and stop buying these products. I would speak to medical professionals such as my family physician to ask about the potential dangers of eating meat and poultry that had been fed antibiotics, and I would change my diet accordingly. I might even get my own hens if my city allowed that in city limits, and I would suggest to others that they do the same. I would share what I know with others and refuse to buy products from animal factories. This is the power that I hold as a consumer, and I would utilize it to solve this ethical dilemma.

Monday, October 14, 2019

Roles And Responsibilities Of The Project Manager Construction Essay

Roles And Responsibilities Of The Project Manager Construction Essay As defined by Field and Keller (2007) Project management is the discipline of planning, organising, securing, managing, leading and controlling resources to achieve a specific outcome or outcomes during a defined time period and given resource constraints. It is a temporary endeavour which has a defined beginning and end which is aimed at achieving a set of specific goals and objectives. Elenbass (2000) has showed that achieving the project goals and objectives within the given time, schedule and cost constraints are the primary challenge of the project management. Hence the project managers must attempt to utilise the resources efficiently and effectively to meet the pre-defined standards of performance and to optimise the productivity of the resources. The aim of this assignment is to identify certain projects to achieve two main business objectives for the financial year of a large manufacturing organisation which has employed over 1250 employees including the office staff and factory workers; to reduce the movement of staff from the premises during the lunch break and to help the staff to develop a healthy life style as a part of the CSR of the entity and to reduce the absenteeism accordingly. Hence at the beginning of the paper several projects will be identified that are suggested to be feasible to implement to achieve these particular objectives. Then a specific project was selected and carried out the fundamental project management functions such as elaborated the and assess it for feasibility, cost and time management, select appropriate project methodology, establishing an appropriate management, administrative structure and etc. Task 01: Identifying Specific Projects There are two main objectives of that have to be achieved during the current financial year; Reducing the movement of staff from the companys premises during the ,lunch break which has created an issue overcrowding the local area Assist the companys staff to develop a healthy life style as a part of the policy of the organisation In order to achieve these objectives following factors should be considered before determining suitable projects; There are more than 1250 office staff and factory staff who have been employed in the company The staffs has been assigned with the range of different roles The offices and factory buildings are spread across an extensive area The is no existing catering services for the office staff or the factory workers Accordingly the company has been faced with the need for developing a proper plans and programs to reduce the matters relating to the movement of the employees during the lunch break and overcrowding the premises and closure area (Case Study). Hence author suggested that following alternative projects can be considered to address these issues and to achieve the above mentioned objectives; Setting up a separate building to providing catering services for the employees of the company Setting up a separate building to take the lunch and tea without providing the catering services at the premises Setting up a separate building and buy-in the external catering service Arrange lunch rooms in every separate building in the premises and setting small building to buy the meals from an external catering service A Chosen Project From the above mentioned alternative projects the first alternative (Setting up a separate building to providing catering services for the employees of the company) due to following reasons; This alternative provides a long-term solution for the problem The employees will be happy about the employer since they feel that the company care their needs This solution can be built and develop healthy relationships among the various staff of the company The objectives of CSR can be easily achieved As a pre-requirement of planning the project has to be sub-divided into major divisions. Accordingly following sub-divisions can be identified with the high level estimates of time, resources and costs. Project Sub-Division Description Time Estimates Resources Cost Estimates Constructing the Building This includes, Planning the building Estimating the costs and purchasing requirements Calling for tenders from the suppliers Selecting suppliers Constructing the building 2 months External Architectures Engineering Division and Top Management involvements including Budgetary committee Tender board Construction people and material Land  £5000 Arranging the Interior facilities This includes, Arranging the seating facilities Arranging the canteen including fixed assets such as fridges, cashiers, delivery tables, etc 1 month Financial resources Labour Clerical staff Fixed assets Management and coordination  £3000 Establishing the catering service This includes, Recruiting kitchen and canteen staff Purchasing fixed assets, equipments and goods for the kitchen and the canteen 2 months Clerical staff Human resource Division Financial resources Purchasing procedures Fixed assets  £2000Table 01: Project Plan Project Methodology PRINCE 2 Having identified the above fundamentals of the main project a suitable project methodology should be selected. There are several project methodologies can be identified in the Project Management literature such as the traditional approach, PRICE 2, Event Chain Methodology, Process Based Management, Critical Chain Project Management, etc. Among these the PRINCE 2 project management methodology is the best suit for the project under concern. As explained by Hutchings (2011) this method is a structured approach to project management which provides a clearly defined framework for project management. It describes how to coordinate people and activities of the project, how to design and supervise the project and what actions should be taken if the project reflects some deviations from the plan and planned outcomes. Accordingly each activity is structured with clear input and outputs allowing the automatic control of the project processes and efficiency of the resources. The following figu re shows a typical PRINCE 2 methodology. Figure 01: PRINCE 2 Methodology [Source: http://www.projectmanagement.net.au/prince2] Feasibility Assessment Feasibility Criteria Assessment Weighing Technical Feasibility The technical expertise for several aspects of the project should be made available from the external sources. Accordingly following services are available for the project; The project planning staff 100%The clerical staff Engineering and designing Budgetary committee And following technical skills should be outsourced; 80%Building architecture Construction engineering Cooking staff There are reliable sources to obtain these technical requirements for the project without greater difficulty. 90% Schedule Feasibility Schedule should be subjected to proper control (85%). 15% risk assessment is allowed. The expertise of the external constructors and technical services is assured 100% by the top management 92.5% Human Resource Feasibility The members of the corporate project staff are newly appointed. Therefore they should be subjected to proper guidance, controlling and monitoring procedures in order to get their full potential for the project work. In the catering services field and building construction their knowledge and experience are significantly lack and therefore effective consultation is required. Required labour for the project should be externally fulfilled since there are no idle labours that can be allocated for the project. 20% Financial Feasibility The financial for the project can be sourced in following ways; Welfare fund: 12.5% CSR Budget allocations: 25% Company Bank Accounts: 50% Employee Contribution: 12.5% 100% Operational Feasibility Since the project is to be carried out utilising the external labour is can be operated without disrupting the normal manufacturing and business operations. 90% Sharing best practices The project team is prepared to utilise the lessons in the past and to obtain information further from the external sources personally to make the project a success. 90% Table 02: Feasibility Assessment Nicholas (2009); Warner (2010); Borow (2010) Administrative Structure Based on the PRINCE 2 Project Methodology following structure can be developed for the management and administration of the project (Hartl, 2006). Project Planning Committee Site 01 Site 02 Site 03 Catering Service Arrangement Interior Facilitation Building Construction Construction Purchasing Arrangement Purchasing Recruiting Staff HR Division Purchasing Corporate Project Manager Budgeting CEO/ Director Board Steering Committee Figure 02: Administrative Breakdown structure Roles and Responsibilities of the Project Manager Haughey (2011) has pointed that the role of the project manager is to plan, approval, implementation, control, monitor and execution of the project. The execution involves the accumulating resources and coordinating the people and physical resources in order to perform the tasks effectively and efficiently to the standards of performance. Accordingly followings are the responsibilities of the project manager; Team leadership Documentation Developing schedules Activity planning and scheduling Planning and define scope Risk analysis Monitoring and reporting the progress Manage the risk issues Control the quality Realise the benefits Project Plan Based on the PRINCE 2 project methodology adopted the project plan should be prepared. Accordingly each process should be clearly defined with inputs and outputs and necessary performance standards and controls. Methodology should be inclusive of remedies for the potential deviations from the planned process. Accordingly following project plan is outlined for the project under consider (Frese, 2003). Order Task Name Start Date Duration End Date Resources 1 Building Construction 9/1/2012 60 10/31/2012 2 Planning the building 9/1/2012 7 9/8/2012 Architecture 3 Estimating the costs and purchasing requirements 9/9/2012 7 9/16/2012 Budgetary committee 4 Calling for tenders from the suppliers 9/17/2012 12 9/29/2012 Purchasing Dept 5 Selecting suppliers 9/30/2012 10 10/10/2012 Purchasing Dept 6 Purchasing procedure 10/11/2012 7 10/18/2012 Purchasing Dept 7 Constructing the building 10/19/2012 17 11/5/2012 Contractors 8 Preparing Interior facilities 11/6/2012 30 12/6/2012 9 Planning the interior arrangement (following the plan of the building) 11/6/2012 2 11/8/2012 Project planning team 10 Estimating the costs and purchasing requirements 11/9/2012 2 11/11/2012 Project planning team 11 Calling for tenders from the suppliers 11/12/2012 7 11/19/2012 Purchasing Dept 12 Selecting suppliers 11/20/2012 7 11/27/2012 Purchasing Dept 13 Purchasing procedure 11/28/2012 7 12/5/2012 Purchasing Dept 14 Arrangement 12/6/2012 5 12/11/2012 Labors, Project planning team 15 Establishing the catering service 12/12/2012 30 1/11/2013 16 Planning the Human Resource requirements 12/12/2012 7 12/19/2012 HR Division and Project Planning Team 17 Recruitment procedures 12/20/2012 7 12/27/2012 HR Division 18 Recruitment and Selection 12/28/2012 2 12/30/2012 HR Division 19 Estimating the costs and purchasing requirements 12/31/2012 7 1/7/2013 Project planning team 20 Purchasing procedure 1/8/2013 7 1/15/2013 Purchasing Dept 21 Closure of the project 1/16/2013 7 1/23/2013 22 Post project evaluation 1/16/2013 3 1/19/2013 Steering committee, Project manager and the team 23 Reporting 1/20/2013 2 1/22/2013 Project manager 24 Hand over the documents and project to the management 1/23/2013 1 1/24/2013 Project manager 25 Opening for employees 1/25/2013 1 1/26/2013 Project planning team, management and employees Table 03: Project Plan Task 02 Alternative Project Team Structures Team Structure Assessment Pure Project The project manager has the full authority over the project Every member reports to a one boss Line of communication is shortened Decisions are made quickly Motivation, team spirit and commitment are high The teams have not a sustainability after the project is completed due to ignorance of the organisational goals and objectives (Baguley, 2003) Functional One team member may be working on several projects The projects have been established within a certain functional division Motivation, team spirit and commitment are weak Project mangers role may not be defined clearly The aspects of the project that are not directly related with the functional area may be ineffectively achieved Matrix Project Project team composed of people from different functional areas so that all aspects of the project are equally fulfilled and considered Project manager has defined roles and responsibilities Communication among the functional divisions is improved and enhanced There would have two bosses; project manager and the functional manager There is a high risk for failure of the project unless the project manager possesses strong negotiating skills (Mullins, 2007) Table 04: Alternative Project Team Structure Interpersonal Skills for Project Manager According to Yeong (2011) following interpersonal skills are crucially important for the project managers in order to successfully manage the progress and people of the project. Leadership and influencing skills Team building Motivation Communication Decision making Negotiating Political and cultural awareness Quality Management Process According to Borow, (2010) the quality management process for the project under concern is as follows; Quality planning: The goal of the project: To establish a canteen for the employees of the company including office staff and factory workers in order to reduce the overcrowding in the local area and to promote healthy foods Expected deliverables: The building: spacious sufficiently to gather employees, clean, proper waste and water disposal methods, Catering service: established within the company premises, clean and healthy foods, affordable prices for all staff, availability of choices Measuring the success: Post project evaluation, questionnaire survey among the employees, physical performance of the building, water and waste disposal systems Quality Assurance In order to assure the quality of the deliverables, following steps will be followed; Building: utilise the best materials, get the services of the well-known constructors, utilise the service of the recognised and assured architectures and designers Catering service: employ most skilled and well-experienced cooking staff, set the conditions for service relating to quality, clean and healthy foods, ensure tidy environment Quality control In order to control the quality of the deliverables, evaluations and suggestions of the following persons will be considered. The physical tests of the engineering heads Assurance of the HR division relating to the competency of the canteen staff Physical verification by the project team and the management of the waste disposal systems The employees of the company Managing Project Change Proposals Changes are possible in course of the projects due to various implications of the project management and stakeholder influences. Following typical change management procedure will be followed to ensure the changes are properly managed during the project ensuring the success. Figure 03: Change Management during the Course of the Project [Source: http://product-ivity.com/project-change-management/] Possible Issues and Risks As shown by Viney (2004) following project risks and issues should be encountered. Risk / Issue Description Business/ Inherent Risk Culture and politics that are prevailing within the organisation may affect the project execution, monitoring and controlling. Project specific risk The skills of the project team, as discussed earlier are considerably insufficient for this project. Hence there is a high need for proper control, execution and supervision of the project leadership during the work Stage risk Risk associated with the each sub-division of the project Table 05: Possible Risks Monitoring and Evaluation In order to monitor and control the project work successfully the stakeholder analysis can be adopted. As claimed by Kerzner, (2004, pp 358). The stakeholder analysis helps to identify the persons or the groups that should be involved in the decision making process of the project and to whom, what and how to disseminate the information about the project. Additionally the stakeholders would affect and involve in the change management and control procedures. By identifying and defining their needs the project manager can effectively determine how should the project be monitored and on what bases or criteria the project should be evaluated. Accordingly following analysis can be used for the monitoring and evaluation purposes of the project. Stakeholder type Parties may included Requirements Critically affect the success of the project Budgetary committee Top management External services Project team Comply with the organizational policies, practices and system procedures Effective Reporting Proper coordination and availability of resources Legally required to participate The local government officers To ensure the construction of a building in the local area Have specific expertise on project The project planning team Steering committee Project team including the project manager Building constructors and designers Engineering HR Division The right quality and standards of performance of the relevant deliverables Beneficiaries The employees The company The improved and quality environment Healthy and clean foods Affordable prices Continuous maintenance System to detect and manage issues As Frese, (2003) explained, the project charter can be used as a source document in order to detect and manage issues of the project. This document includes all of the following details; Deliverables Constraints Risks Resources Acceptance criteria Cost and man-hour estimations Risk management policy Resources requirement Benefits and impacts Link to the corporate business and CSR strategy Conclusion Project management is dealt with managing projects effectively within the given triple constraints of cost, time and schedule. In order to manage a project successfully the project managers and team members should possess a range of skills, experience and competencies. If the project team armed with necessary skills and competencies or has the quick access to reliable sources, the project can be achieved successfully. Further interpersonal skills are highly important for the project managers. Since, especially in the matrix team structure the project manager plays a significant role by effectively negotiating with the functional managers and the employees assigned from various functional areas to discharge the project tasks. There are main three types of team structures that can be used to organise the project team. The project must be subjected to properly established quality control processes and the outcomes should be benchmarked in order to ensure the expected deliverables. Stake holder analysis can be used to monitor and evaluate the project based on the nature and purpose.